Shoe counter



I May 2l 1929. R. bAyls ET AL SHOE. COUNTER Filed Dec. 8, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 TORNEY dNVENTORfw mm m I? ll Fa May 21, 1929. R. DAVIS ET AL SHOE COUNTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Deb. 8, 1928 11 INVENTORS Malaw- Patented May 21, 1929.

UNITED: STATES' ROBERT DAVIS, or BROOKLYN, AND WILLIAM HEIM, or BELLEnosn, New YORK.

v 1,114,001 PATENT- OFFICE.

snon COUNTER.

Application filed December 8, 1928. Serial No. 324,673.

This invention relates to the manufacture of shoes. p v I Special objects of the invention are to provide a counter construction, which will hold the counter, the upper, the shank, the sole and the heel all in close fitting intimately joined relation and with no gaps or air spaces either at the outside or inside of the shoe; which will brace, strengthen and solidify these parts of the shoe, and which in addition will simplify, cheapen and expedite shoe manufacture, and will insure a more comfortable, better fitting and appearing shoe.

These objects are attained by certain novel features of construction, combination and relations of parts as set forth in the follow ing specification and broadly covered in the claims.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrate several practical embodiments of the invention and show by comparison advantages of the present invention 'over the usual form of counter.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a shoe having the new counter embodied therein and illustrating in particular the tightnessof fit attained between the heel and upper of the shoe; Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the counter construction as on substantially the plane of line 22, Fig. 1; Fig. 3

is a similar view showing the usual form of wardly to a relatively thin edge. This thick base of the counter hasa solid foot portion 11 about the outer edge of the counter of substantially the width of the feather 12, Figs. 5 and f the sole 13 and of a height approximately equal to that of the shoulder '14 at the back of the feather.

This solid footing thus forms the base and lower edge of the counter and completely fills in the rabbet about the edge of the sole, in eflect complementing the sole and interlocking the upper 15 between the sole and base of the counter.

It will be noted that the foot of the counter is made with squared inner and outer edges so as to fully fill in the space left by the rabbeting of the sole, making a tight close joint between the upper and sole as indicated in Fig. v6 and with the flat rim portion 16 of the heel 17, wherethe feather of the sole is trimmed away at 18 for heeling. The upper is shown stitched at 19 through the channel 20 and the solid footing or base portion of the counter overlies this stitching at the outside as shown'in Figs. 2 and 6,

so that said stitching is positively held aswell as completely covered at the outside.

. Above the solid foot or base. the counter is provided at the inside with an inwardly tapering thin flange 21 overlying the sole and covering the channel stitching at the top. In the completed shoe, this flange may be covered by the shank or equivalent inner the rabbet of the sole,so as to leave no gaps stiffening member 22, which is shown as V or air spaces when the upper is reversed for the second lasting indicated in Fig. 6.v

v The shank or inner stiffening member 22 may be secured by tacks or like fastenings v 25 shown in Fig. 2 as passing down through the counter flange into the sole. The heeling nails 26 further compact, solidify and fasten the parts together in interlocked relation, extending. as they do through the shank, counter flange and sole into the heel. The pull of these nails is to seat the flat and relatively thick base of the counter squarely down on the rim of the heel making the exterior contour of the heel and upper one continuous line without any break or perceptible joint at the meeting edges of the upper and the heel. It will be apparent furthermore that any downward or outward'pressure on the counter, such as will occur in wearing the shoe simply has the effect of pushing the counter all the more firmly to its seat with the sole and heel. The counter is secured positively by the flange against any outward expansion and by its flat seat on the sole or heel against any downward movement, so that there is no opportunity for bulging or gaping of the counter and upper relative to either the sole or to the heel.

To illustrate the point more forcibly, attention is directed to Fig. 8, which shows a conventional or common form of counter construction. In this customary method of manufacture, the counter which is shown at 27 is tapered toward its lower edge as indicated at 28, so that it can be secured by the channel stitching 19. This counter with the upper is then rolled back for the second lasting, leaving of necessity more or less of a gap or air space 29 inside the bend and a springy rounded edge 30 at the outside bearing on the feather of the sole and on the rim of the heel. This form of counter yields readily to vertical pressure and to lateral pressure well, so that even with the greatest care and skill exercised in manufacture, there will be a broken line or gap at 31 showing between the upper and the heel,

which even it not so apparent whenthe shoe is new will become more prominent as the shoe is worn and the materials have had opportunity to stretch and to resume their normal positions. As distinguished from all this, it will be observed that the new counter is set and secured in an unstrained position fitting accurately in with the other parts and tending to hold its shape against the strains of wear and use.

The counter may be made up in various ways. Thus as shown in Fig. 7, the leather or other blank from which the counter is made may be rabbeted along the lower outside edge to remove the section indicated by the dotted lines 32 and then be bent over at a sharp right angle on the line 33 to crowd and bring the material into the form shown with the material below the bend 'l orming the flat solid step or foot 11 and the tapered fin left at the rabbet forming the flange 21. In Fig. 8, the cut of the rabbet is shown as extended at 34 up into the body the counter a distance equal to the depth of the foot and the thinned web or fin as bent at the point 35 a slight distance above the end of the cut.

In the construction shown in Fig. 9, a substantially rectangular rabbet 36 cut in the inner edge at the base of the counter to approximately the depth of the step and a cut 37 is made in the inner fare at the counter down to a point near this rahbe g a tapering fin which is bent in to form the wedge shaped flange.

Various other methods of producing the counter may be devised, but those illustrated are the ones at present preferred, because of the simplicity of manufacture and the strength and permanency of the product. Also these constructions are desirable because they provide a step at the foot of the counter which is relatively broad and substantial and nearly equal in. thickness to the thickest part of the counter, providing a flat footing for the wall of the counter, supporting the counter upright and against any tendency to bulge.

By interlocking the parts solidly and without any intervening spaces, with each part absolutely complementing and fitting the other parts and securing them thus while free of strain, all tendencies to go out of shape are eliminated. Shoes constructed in accordance with this invention therefore will retain their shape and form indefinitely and these very material advantages are attained without increase in cost or time in manufacture. In fact, because of the greater convenience of assembly, the cost and time in manufacture mayboth be reduced. The wallort the counter is continuous from top to bottom, without bends or hollows therein and has a wide flat square cornered lower edge seating squarely in the rabbet of the sole and forming a solid footing, which can not or get out of shape. Nith this structure, thepressure oi? the foot serves to hold the counter all themore firmly in place and in shape. Furthermore, this structure eliminates any need for so-called counter stifled ers or the like, theleather counter of this providing all the stiffness, strength antibody needed and providing a high-class shoe which will wear without bulging or sagging as do the cheaper grades of shoes in which molded counter stilfeners are used in place oi counters. The flange being located an appreciable distance above the lower edge 01 the counter holds the counter firmly inward, causing the shoe to hug closely about the back of the heel and around the instep, making the shoe fit closer to the foot and crnisequently m re comfortable tothe we: or. This feature may be best understood by reference to Figs. 2 and 6, which show how the lower edge of the counter, solidly filling in the channel of the rabbet will not permit the counter to swing outward on this lower edge as a fulcrum because it is solidly held by the inwardly extending flange at a point above this lower fulcrum point. The flange which is anchored to the SOlG,"lZ-l111S serves as a stay preventing the counter from swinging outwardly with the lower edge as a fulcrum point. V

The new counter may be used for McKay or welt shoes, still retaining many advantages of the invention by turning the fin or flange 21 in Fig. 7 in line with the foot or step 11 at the base of the counter wall, in which event, the sharp square cut lower edge said flat lower edge, overlapping the sole above the rabbet and secured thereto.

2. In shoe construction, the combination with a rabbeted sole having the feather cut away about the heel portion of the same, a heel fastened to the sole and having a substantially fiat rim about the heel portion of the sole, an upwardly tapering counter having a wide substantially flat lower edge ex tending down past the heel edge of the sole and resting squarely on the flat rim of the heel and an inwardly extending integral tapered flange projecting from the inside of the counter above the lower seated edge of the counter and fastened over the top of the sole.

3. In shoe construction, the combination with a rabbeted sole having the feather cut away about the heel portion of the same, a heel fastened to the sole and having a substantially flat rim about the heel portion of the sole, an upwardly tapering counter hav ing a wide substantially flat lower edge extending down past the heel edge of the sole and, resting squarely on the flat rim of the heel, an inwardly extending integral tapered flange projecting from the inside of the counter above the lower seated edge of the counter and fastened over the top of the sole and an upper secured to the sole and extending beneath the lower seated edge of the counter over the outside of the same.

4. In shoe construction, the combination of a sole having a rabbeted edge, acounter ofleather counter of upwardly tapering thickness and having a substantially flat square cornered wide supporting edge at the lower end of the same and above said wide supporting edge an inwardly extending tapered flange formed integrally with the lower thicker portion of the counter.

V 6; The method of, manufacturing turned shoes, which comprises channel stitching an upper to a rabbeted sole, taking a counter having a thick lower supporting edge and an inwardly extended flange above said edge and seating said counter with the thick lower edge of the same engaged in the rabbet of the sole over the upper and the flange overlying the top of the sole, securing said flange fixedly to the sole while the upper is in the reversed relation, then turning the upper up over the counter and fastening a shank in the turned shoe over the inwardly extending flange of the counter.

7 As a new article of manufacture, a shoe counter of upwardly tapering cross-section having a square cut relatively wide and flat lower outer edge and an inwardly projecting tapered flange above saidsquare cut lower edge.

8. The method of manufacturing turned shoes, which comprises securing an upper to a rabbeted sole, taking a counter having a thick supporting edge and an inwardly extending flange above said edge and seating said counter with the thick lower edge of the same entered in the rabbet of the sole and the flange overlying the top of the sole,

1 securing said flange to the sole while the upper 1s in the reversed relation, turning the upper over the counter and securing an inside stiffening member in the turned shoe over the inwardly extending flange of the counter.

9. The method of manufacturing shoe,

counters, which comprises rabbeting the lower outside edge of a counter blank and extending the cut of the rabbet up into the body of the blankto leave the blank with a base portion at its outer edge and a flange portion at its inner edge integrally attachedto the base portion at a point above the lower edge of said base portion and then bending said flange portion inwardly from the base portion approximately at said point of attachment.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

ROBERT DAVIS. WILLIAM HEIM. 

